[March
18, 2014]After the 2008 economic
meltdown, when the stock market fell 37 percent, veteran financial
adviser Curt Whipple met with clients from outside financial
institutions who'd lost 50 to 60 percent of their portfolio in a
single year. (Click
here for the rest of the story.)

Online fraud: Are you next?

The difference between computer
users who get scammed and those who don't often comes down to a
simple checklist: In just-released research, AARP identifies 15
particular behaviors, life situations and knowledge attributes that
significantly increase vulnerability to online fraud.
(Click
here for the rest of the story.)

Illinois Department of Insurance warns about the dangers of
stranger-originated life insurance arrangements, or STOLIs

STOLIs
not the same as traditional insurance policies and illegal in
Illinois

CHICAGO — Illinois Department of
Insurance Director Andrew Boron is warning consumers about
stranger-originated life insurance arrangements. Unlike a
traditional life insurance policy where a consumer initiates the
application for insurance and the insured's loved ones are
beneficiaries of the death benefits, a stranger-originated life
insurance arrangement involves a group of investors, often
strangers, who initiate the application for life insurance by
offering the participant an upfront lump-sum payment in exchange for
allowing the group to purchase the insurance on the participant's
life.
(Click
here for the rest of the story.)

OAK PARK — The U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General recently
released a report that over 4 million Medicare Summary Notices, or MSNs, were undeliverable to Medicare beneficiaries in 2012. The most
common reason why the notices were undeliverable is because of
incorrect or invalid beneficiary addresses. You can read the full
report here:
https://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-03-12-00600.asp.
(Click
here for the rest of the story.)

Elderly profit from group meetings and home visits

By Ronnie Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) — Group
meetings and preventive home visits helped octogenarians maintain
their health, independence and a positive outlook, according to a
first-of-its-kind study in Sweden.
(Click
here for the rest of the story.)

Julie King, Christian Village director of independent living, puts the finishing touches on the Almost Home
apartment available for individuals needing a temporary
place to stay before going home from the hospital or nursing
home.

After a hospital or nursing home
stay, some people are unable to return home because they can't
handle housekeeping and meal preparation. To help these individuals
while they're regaining their strength, The Christian Village has
established an "Almost Home" apartment that can be rented by the
week.
(Click
here for the rest of the story.)

Olympians of Social Security

By
Becky Whitlow, Social Security district manager in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD — While the eyes of
the world focus on the XXII Winter Olympics in the resort town of
Sochi, Russia, this month, the Social Security Administration brings
your attention to another worthy focal point: Internet safety.
(Click
here for the rest of the story.)